COLORADO TEACHER LIBRARIAN ENDORSEMENT OVERVIEW AND GUIDELINES

At the February 2016 Board of Education meeting the State Board approved the Educator Preparation and Licensure Rule updates for various areas, including that of the Teacher Librarian.

Teacher Librarian Endorsement Overview

 This endorsement does not stand alone and may only be added to an existing teacher license.  This endorsement may be earned through completion of an approved program in library science or the equivalent from an accepted institution of higher education that shall include a supervised practicum or internship which includes both elementary and secondary school library experience.

As of March, 2016, to be endorsed as a Teacher Librarian, an applicant shall:

 hold an earned bachelor’s degree from an accepted institution of higher education;  hold a Colorado initial, alternative, or professional teacher license;  have completed an approved program in library science or the equivalent, including field work in diverse K-12 settings and grade levels and a supervised practicum or internship which includes both elementary and secondary school library experience (the practicum or internship may be waived by the accepted institution upon comparable teacher-librarian experience as determined by the educator preparation program);  have demonstrated knowledge and performance competency including but not limited to those listed here.

EXAM – With the revised teacher-librarian endorsement, after November 2015 teacher librarian endorsement exam is no longer required.

School Librarian Endorsement – Elements of the previous “School Librarian” endorsement were combined with elements of the previous “Teacher Librarian” endorsement to create the current “Teacher Librarian” endorsement. The School Librarian endorsement:

 was discontinued as of March 30, 2016 and may only be renewed on a professional license or earned if you were enrolled in an approved program by the Fall of 2016.  may be added to an existing Colorado teacher license by taking and passing the Place 42 (Passing Score: 220) exam through March 30, 2017. The last administration of this exam will be November 5, 2016.

If your prior endorsement was “School Librarian,” your future renewal(s) will be “School Librarian” as long as all renewal requirements are met. The same will be true for those who have the previous iteration of “Teacher Librarian” or other endorsement term(s) used on your license.